Goodwin honored with Fall Stars Game invite, Solis and Purke have been outstanding

Mesa’s rally came up short against Salt River Monday in the Arizona Fall League, as the Solar Sox fell 3-2.

Trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the eighth, the Solar Sox scored two runs to cut the Rafters advantage to one run on a Kris Bryant two-run shot. C.J. Cron lined out to left field to end the game.

Center fielder Brian Goodwin went 1-for-3, his average now .304. Goodwin was credited with a sacrifice and was caught stealing once. Third baseman Matt Skole went 0-for-3 with one walk.

Mesa (10-6-1) has lost two in a row, but still leads in their division.

Goodwin was the lone Nationals prospect invited to the Fall Stars Game on Nov. 2 at Surprise Stadium. The game will televised by MLB Network at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper have played in previous Arizona Fall League all-star games. Goodwin was named last year’s Fall All-Star game MVP. He had a homer and a double in a 9-4 East division victory in the “Rising Stars” game.

Each MLB team is represented by at least one player. It is probably a numbers game and the timing of the All-Star game, but it is hard to ignore the pitching of left-handers Sammy Solis and Matt Purke.

Solis leads the league in wins (three) and has a 2.87 ERA in four starts. Purke is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in three starts. They are both in the top ten in strikeouts, Solis with 16 and Purke with 12. Even without accolades for an All-Star game in the Fall, each have demonstrated they are ready to take the next step next season at Double-A Harrisburg.